Hulk admits joining Zenit St Petersburg for money

Zenit St Petersburg striker Hulk has revealed that money was a significant factor in his move to the wealthy Russian club.

The 26-year-old surprised the football world in September by joining Zenit for €50 million (£39.6 million) from Porto, when clubs like Chelsea were also interested.

Hulk, who almost quit the Russian club in January, has now admitted that he was swayed by the financial terms on offer.

Speaking to Euronews, he said: "I will not lie, people know I'm a footballer and I had to seize the moment with Zenit's financial offer.

"I wanted a new goal to achieve and it had to be in a different league having already won everything in Portugal.

"I received various proposals from clubs in England, Italy and Spain but we never reached an agreement."

The Seleção star also added that he felt disrespected by his Zenit team-mates who were behaving under the assumption the Brazilian was arriving with an ego.

Hulk added: "There are some players who lacked respect for me. There were some things said in public that should not have been said, not in interviews.

"The other players started to judge me without even knowing me. They thought I wanted to be the star of the team. But I do not want to be the star. I'm here to help and be helped and I'm sure it will happen."